Special attention has been devoted to tlie Zoological work of the 

 expedition, in which connection some very interesting discoveries were made. 

 Detailed scientific papers on the Mammals and Insects collected have been 

 embodied in Appendices (II. — V.) ; but as the collections of Birds and Cold- 

 Blooded Vertebrates contain no new species, scientific descriptions are not 

 necessary, though the reader will find Chapters dealing in a more or less 

 popular way with both these branches of Biology, as well as a review of the 

 whole Biological work. 



The Meteorological observations will be found in tabulated form 

 (App. VI.), interesting points concerning the climatic conditions of the 

 country being detailed in Chapter XV. An attempt, too, has been made to 

 give a general sketch of the Geology of the country passed through. 



The photographs and coloured plates which illustrate the book, have been 

 chosen with a view to presenting different types of natives, geological 

 formations, scenery, and other matters of general interest. It is unfortunate 

 that, owing to the necessity for a distribution of the plates throughout the 

 volume, these cannot always fall at — or even near — the mention of them in 

 the text ; but, as far as possible, references are given where they illustrate 

 places visited or explain points raised, as, for example, in the Chapters on 

 Natural History and Geology. 



We take this opportunity of acknowledging our debt of gratitude to the 

 British War Office for lending the services of Captain H. E. M. Douglas, 

 V.C., D.S.O., R.A.M.C. ; and to the Survey of India for those of Hazrat Ali, 

 our surveyor, whose sad death in the performance of his duty is so deeply 

 regretted by every member of the expedition. 



Out best thanks are also due to the Hon. N. Charles Rothschild, M.A., 

 F.L.S., for the paper on Siphonaptera ; to Mr. H. R. Hogg, M.A., F.Z.S., for 

 his contribution on Araneidae ; to the members of the British Museum Staif, 

 who kindly examined and classified the specimens belonging to the orders of 

 Invertebrates contained in the collection ; to Mr. Gerrit S. Miller, of the 

 Smithsonian Institution, for his description of five new species in the collection 

 of Mammals ; and to the Rev. Frank Madeley for his assistance in connection 

 with the history of the moundsand monuments examined round about Hsi-an Fu. 



Major L. D. Fraser, Royal Artillery, afforded invaluable assistance in 

 undertaking the preparation of the Map, in correcting the spelling of Chinese 



(ii) 



